


Immerse

by bikuai



Series: Condensation [1]
Category: Titanfall (Video Games)
Genre: Character Study, Cottagecore, Gen, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:02:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27430951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bikuai/pseuds/bikuai
Summary: Captain Tai Lastimosa finds solace in a drop of calm amidst the chaos.He hopes Cooper can too.
Relationships: BT-7274 & Tai Lastimosa, Jack Cooper & Tai Lastimosa
Series: Condensation [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2031487
Comments: 5
Kudos: 18





	Immerse

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Titanfall fic! Some CoD buddies of mine recommended Titanfall 2’s campaign to me so I took a chance and fell in love.
> 
> Thanks to them and a couple beta readers for helping me turn my love into a coherent fic.

Tai Lastimosa watches the sprinklers in the field through his kitchen window. They stutter in that jerky, repetitive way that sprinklers do. It reminds him of something. The leaves of the crops glisten in the salmon-hued sunlight. Harmony’s sunsets are always so beautiful. That is the one thing that could be certain across the whole of the planet’s surface. Despite its name, Harmony has seen its fair share of destruction and desolation. Lastimosa is lucky enough to still have a patch of land to call his own, but he rarely has the opportunity to enjoy it.

The Militia is slowly but surely gaining traction in the battle against the corporate tyranny of the IMC. They are on the offensive now, which—in theory—is the dream of every SRS pilot. In reality, it means that Commander Briggs is working around the clock to get recon boots on the ground wherever she can. In the past three months, Lastimosa had been deployed to no less than four different planets to investigate “abandoned” IMC facilities. The novelty of exploring a new planet never gets old, but seeing them destroyed in the crossfire of an interplanetary war is painful. Lastimosa has learned not to dwell on it too long.

He shifts his eyes to the orchard beyond the field. BT lumbers between the rows of trees, his chassis brushing against the outstretched branches. The Titan towered over the fruit trees as he brought a set of shears up to a particularly unruly cluster of leaves. Lastimosa watches the interaction carefully. He never expected BT, a machine created for the express purpose of tactical domination, to take an interest in horticulture. Or anything other than warfare, honestly. The thought intrigues him.

Maybe even AIs grow weary of ending lives. Maybe they wish to cultivate them instead. Lastimosa knows he has felt the same. Beneath his confident and nonchalant demeanor, he harbors a smoldering sense of disquiet. 

The irrigation system suddenly shuts off, done for the day. The rhythmic jets of water leave a silent void in their place. A residual mist lingers in the evening air. It reminds him of something. Something he doesn’t want to remember. Smoke, heat, and the hazy waves that emanate off an enemy Scorch. The absence of sprinklers ignites a memory: a mimicry of the abrupt silence that follows a spray of automatic gunfire. Flames lick up the side of—

Lastimosa sighs wearily and pushes away from the counter he was leaning on. He has to resist the urge to run his hand down his face.

As much as he tries not to think about war and bloodshed while at home, it always makes its way into his mind. Even the slightest similarities remind him of battle, putting him on edge. The Militia psychologists say it’s a side effect of having a neural link, only exacerbated by the fact that he had outlived his first Titan. Lastimosa had thought hard about that when they’d first explained it to him. The feelings of loss combined with an almost constant recollection of combat did a number on his stability. At the time, he wasn’t sure if he could continue to be a pilot. It was only by the grace of a few choice words from Major Anderson that he decided to keep fighting.

Being linked to a new Titan—a Vanguard, no less—helped with some of the symptoms, but nothing could extinguish the inklings at the back of his mind. They recur at the most unsuspecting of times, reminding Lastimosa of everything he had lost in pursuit of the Frontier’s liberation. It is worth the struggle, he thinks. To protect his home from the grim claws of the IMC, he would stop at nothing.

He just hopes some of them live long enough to see the fruits of their labor. Lastimosa is making peace with the fact that he might not, but...

The kitchen door swings open and welcomes in a rush of cool air. Jack Cooper steps through, arms laden with two overfilled fruit baskets. The rifleman’s typical attire has been substituted with loose-fitting work clothes, gardening gloves, and a green bandana tied around his head. His face brightens when he sees the captain.

“These are a lot heavier than they look,” Cooper says, heaving them onto the counter. 

“You could have taken two trips, you know,” Lastimosa notes. He crosses his arms as he watches Cooper shake out his tired muscles. The rifleman had been out in the field for quite a while; he’s still damp from the spray of the sprinklers.

“Yeah...I’ll consider that next time,” Cooper says.

The two don't say much else as the fruits are washed and stored. If Cooper notices anything different in the captain's demeanor, he says nothing of it. Instead, he brews a pot of tea and fills two cups. Considering all the time he spends with Lastimosa, it was inevitable that he would take a liking to the captain’s preferred beverage. He drops two sugar cubes in his cup then takes a seat at the table.

The silence persists as Cooper sips his tea. Lastimosa just holds his mug, hands soaking in the heat. He almost doesn’t feel it.

"So, uh, when do we get to my training?" Cooper eventually asks, his knee bouncing underneath the table.

"You think I brought you out here to train?" The question holds no malice, but it unsettles the rifleman nonetheless. Lastimosa watches him fidget over the rim of his cup.

"Yeah...why else? I mean, with all due respect sir, I don't plan to take up farming," Cooper responds, a bit defensive.

Lastimosa chuckles, shaking his head. "That's about what I expected you to say. You don’t seem the type anyway." His smile falters as he turns back to the window. A faraway look enters his eyes. "I brought you out here to show you what we're fighting for. The real Harmony, not just a simulation. When you’ve been on base as long as you have, sometimes you forget that there's a world beyond the fighting. That there’s  _ life _ beyond the conflict."

Cooper sips silently, listening.

"One day, this war will end, Cooper. When that happens, I want you to be able to find a purpose that transcends—for lack of a better word—slaughtering IMC troops.” Cooper snorts at that, and Lastimosa sends him a mirthful look. “I’ve seen you in the field; you’re something special for sure. Why do you think I chose to go through all this trouble for you?”

It takes Cooper a second to realize that Lastimosa expects a response from him. “Uh, because I’m good with a Flatline?”

“Yes there’s that, but also because you’re incredibly resilient. In all the time I’ve known you, you’ve never given up on anything. It’s quite admirable, really.” Lastimosa takes a long sip of his tea. “So don’t take it the wrong way when I say that I hope you have an early retirement. You deserve more than the metal and smoke of the battlefield. I know becoming a pilot is important to you, but trust me: it's not everything."

The rifleman nods and sets down his cup. It’s apparent that he has things to say, but he holds his tongue. Another time, Cooper thinks. Silence floods the kitchen as the two finish their tea. If they listen hard enough, they can hear the distant sound of BT-7274’s footsteps echoing across the field.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope the water/fire imagery hit home. That’s a theme I plan to continue in my future Titanfall fics. Thanks for reading!!


End file.
